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Bebop Spoken There

Buddy Guy: "My mother said, 'You got flowers for me, give 'em to me now, because I'm not going to smell them when you put 'em on the casket'." -(DownBeat September 2018).

Marty Ashby: "I asked him what his gig was and he said 'I put the scores on the music stands'. I said, 'That's a gig?' And I realised there were four floors of guys like him, who supported some of the finest musicians in the world. But I was a jazz musician, and I was used to playing with some of the finest musicians in the world in front of the New York Public Library for tips. That's when I realised that jazz didn't have the same support system as classical music.- (DownBeat September 2018).

So a band comprising of a bass clarinet, drums, hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, guitar, cello and assorted vocal techniques, playing a fusion of world, folk and jazz styles, in front of a sparse audience sounds like it could have been a recipe for disaster but as it turned out this musical kaleidoscope turned out to be a triumphant and highly enjoyable artistic extravaganza. Although the tunes are nearly all original the lyrics are taken from journals, poems, novels and quotes. Most of them, it has to be said, were of a fairly melancholy nature.

Matchless recounts the drowning of 34 after a shipwreck off the coast of Morecambe Bay, whilst Saboo is about the slow death of a slave. Blue is based on a quote from the great painter Wasilly Kandinsky. Meanwhile, Bad Idea comes from a quote by Nick Cave from this film 2000 days on earth (‘to act on a bad idea is better than not to act at all’). Steve Lewis sings most of the song in cabaret-like style ably backed by drummer McCabe and, extremely interestingly, by Stilwell who, amongst various techniques, incorporates throat singing into his repertoire.

Lewis’ African style guitar riffs somehow blend superbly with the more classical approach from cellist Bugge, whilst Robinson excels on bass clarinet. However, a whole new dimension is added by Sherwood occasionally on bagpipes but more often on hurdy-gurdy. To those not there, this may seem to be one step too far but I can absolutely assure you that the atmospheric effect conjured up was quite mesmerising.

To conclude proceedings, the band threw in a GAS standard; a very unique version of Cole’s Porter’s I’ve Got You Under My Skin. A memorable finale to a very memorable evening – highly recommended.Photos.

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Bebop Spoken Here -- Here, being the north-east of England -- centred in the blues heartland of Newcastle and reaching down to the Tees Delta and looking upwards to the Land of the Kilt.Not a very original title, I know; not even an accurate one as my taste, whilst centred around the music of Bird and Diz, extends in many directions and I listen to everything from King Oliver to Chick Corea and beyond. Not forgetting the Great American Songbook the contents of which has provided the inspiration for much great jazz and quality popular singing for round about a century.The idea of this blog is for you to share your thoughts and pass on your comments on discs, gigs, jazz - music in general. If you've been to a gig/concert or heard a CD that knocked you sideways please share your views with us. Tell us about your favourites, your memories, your dislikes.Lance (Who wishes it to be known that he is not responsible for postings other than his own and that he's not always responsible for them.)

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